P Like Pelican (1972) - full transcript

An old hermit lives in a slum and wants to teach the alphabet to the children regularly go there to play. What makes the hermit happiest however, is when he comes to the letter P (for "Pedarsag", or "Puppy"). When a child proposes he use the word "Pelican" instead, the hermit goes to the nearby park looking for this animal he has never heard of.

P LIKE PELICAN

Cast: Seyyed Ali Mirza

Mohammad Jazayeri

With cooperation of

Boys of Tabas

Cinematography

Mohammad Zarfam

Camera Assistant

Nouroddin Nikravesh

Assistant Director

Director Javad Ganji



Sound and Dubbing Mixer

Heydar Nakhaei

Editor

Farideh Asgari

Dialogue by

Nader Ebrahimi.

Seyyed Ali Mirza

Witten and Directed by

Parviz Kimiavi

(In chorus)
Mr. Seyyed Ali Mirza!

Who are they again?

The voice of bad boys...

They have driven me crazy.

They once came off it



and now they are back again.

What a liability!

Go away! What do you want?

Go away!

What's in calling my name?

Why do you keep calling my name?

What do you want?

(Singing with a local accent)

Alef (akin to A) like my name...

Agh Mirza (Mr. Mirza).

This way!

This is A.

B e (Akin to B).

This way!

like the bad boys of Tabas!

Bad! The bad boys of Tabas!

Daal (akin to D). This way!

(In chorus) Divouneh (Crazy)!

I'm not crazy.

I'm not crazy but

there's crazy like me!

These people of Tabas

address me as crazy.

They only speak out
the word, crazy!

But there's no craziness in me!

What does crazy mean?

Perceptive!

I'm percep...

I'm not imperceptive
but perceptive.

I'm not crazy.

These very mean people

of Tabas have named me Crazy.

I'm one of the
perceptive in Tabas.

I'm not crazy.
What does crazy mean?

Crazy means a stupid person.

I own perception.

I read poems.

I compose poems.

I own perception.

What does crazy mean?

Calling me crazy is so bad.

Wingless sparrow,

if falls from his nest...

will fall into the

trap of a no good,

that unfortunate innocent!

From the father's beak,

he has been fed loving y...

a no-good feeds

him obligatorily...

If he decides to wing,

to fly beneath the sky...

he won't be allowed

and his wings will be clipped.

The wingless sparrow

was me to the world...

got beaned by the

world here and there...

Orphan from father at

the age of 3 months
old inopportune!

In the midst of

a depraved group of people...

My poor mother

helpless, jobless and simple...

With unwarranted people

who are astray from rightness...

Who can do as best

among such a society!

One ought to be patient

waiting for God's mercy...

As one's own mother,

be patient with
what's preordained.

Seyyed Ali Mirza!

That's enough of rage and anger!

Kaaf (akin to K in English)!

Like the one who sits on the

ground and stretches his legs!

And a branch...

a branch of a tree...

a branch of a tree over

his head stretched that way!

There is another kind of Kaaf!

Another type is laying face...

this way!

This way!

Your toes down.

Now we had two types of Kaaf's.

There are some words like Kaafar

(meaning atheist in English).

Like Kaafar!

Like my Kaafar uncles

(from father's side)

Who were apparently Muslims

but they were real Kaffar!

Kaafar!

That's it about Kaaf!

Ch-e (akin to ch

(sound in English)!

This way!

Underneath is like Noon

(akin to N in English).

That's it about Ch-e!

Like Chehel
(meaning forty in English).

Like I've been living in

this slum for forty years.

Chehel years.

Taa (akin to strong t in English)!

Like Tabas...

where meets deserts

and salty lands on
its four sides.

Tabas.

P e (akin to p in English)!

This way!

Like...

Pedarsag (an offensive
word meaning "puppy")!

Go away!

Pedarsag!

Go!

Why Pedarsag?

Can't any p found

in other words, though?

P e like pelican!

What?

P e like pelican!

What's pelican?

Come with me and let me

tell you what it is.

Do you remember Bagh-e.

Go shan (Golshan Garden)?

A bit, yes.

Do you remember Hoz-e.

Go shan (Golshan Pool)?

Yes! Yes!

I do remember something.

There has come something from

a long distance away
farther than far!

It's white in color like snow.

It's quite soft like feather.

It sounds like a dream!

No. In the desert. In Tabas.

It has no counterpart
quite unique!

So, is it like a dream?

No. It resembles nothing!

You should come and see.

You should sit next to it.

Tabas is not the same as

it was forty years ago.

There has come a pelican.

Pelican!

Pelican is cool!

Pelican is kind.

Like a man who is
kind to another man?

Yeah!

Nope! I don't want it!

I don't feel like it.

It's not mine, though!

If you step once in.

Bagh e Golshan
(Go shan Garden),

next to Hoz e Golshan
(Golshan Poo),

you can't bear the
thought of losing it.

It belongs to another world!

No!

I don't want it.

I haven't entered this

town for forty years.

Now, you want me to enter

the town for you pelican?

Find a P e in another word!

I have waited for forty years.

Again, now... now,
again I keep waiting.

Might he come by himself!

Do you mean the pelican?

It doesn't get out of water!

It's cool!

It's light!

Won't you swear at me?

Won't you stone me?

Why are you in here
treating me well?

For that pelican!

Cause he is so good.

Cause he's so great.

Let's go to him

in Bagh e Golshan
(Golshan Garden).

Have these boys
seen your pelican?

Yeah, of course!

All Tabas locals have seen it.

Having it seen, they stone and

swear at me and don't

they learn their lessons?

We' I talk soon!

See you tomorrow.

Collect your thoughts!

You may dream again!

I'm waiting.

Sing! Sing...

♪ Maryam! Why did you, ♪

♪ O lady, with charm
and a smile... ♪

♪ set fire to my soul? ♪

♪ I can't get you out ♪

♪ of my mind driving me crazy. ♪

♪ Tonight, ♪

♪ with your sorrow, ♪

♪ no pain is left... ♪

♪ My heart within my ♪

♪ chest ululates in pain. ♪

♪ I can't get you out ♪

♪ of my mind driving me crazy. ♪

♪ You eft and reduced ♪

♪ me to tears out on a limb. ♪

♪ You did wrong to my soul. ♪

♪ You won't feel like ♪

♪ loving me any longer. ♪

♪ I found you eventually... ♪

♪ my full of wine heart! ♪

♪ My heart is broken
from this pain! ♪

♪ Tell me what else you wish? ♪

♪ Tears running from
sorrowful eyes... ♪

♪ The sigh rose from my eye... ♪

♪ I have no eager to beg... ♪

♪ You are the white rose flower... ♪

♪ Without you, ♪

♪ my heart sees no
prospective hope... ♪

♪ of the entire world. ♪

These very children,

how badly irritated...

After forty years of irritation...

Now, how nice...
how nice they are!

How kind they are to me!

Yippee!

Thanks god I have
very good boys!

They are very kind to me.

How nice they've become!

Yippee!

Appreciate them!

I love these children.

They are very nice.

They are good boys.

They are so polite.

They are treating so well!

So, he doesn't come!

He was lying.

He told me another lie!

Forty years!

He told me that
he would come.

I told him to come.

I did nothing wrong!

I have to keep waiting.

If it's white, if it's soft,

if it's very cool

it should sounds like a dream.

Hasn't he sent for me?

Hasn't he found me?

Haven't I grown old waiting?

Then, he should arrive by now!

Bagh e Golshan
(Golshan Garden)?

Hoz e Golshan
(Golshan Pool)?

Forty years in the slums!

Seyyed Ali Mirza!

Yes?

The cab is waiting for you!

I know that.

Why are so late?

Who's this?

Is he from Tabas?

Yeah!

No. I'm not coming!

C'mon! He's hard of hearing!

He's mute.

He only knows how to drive

the cab to Bagh e Golshan
(Golshan Garden).

I believe in you.

Not a trace of those

bothersome people
on the streets!

What about on the road?

No, man!

See what part of the day it is!

It's too hot!

Not a single bird is
flying in the sky!

All crept in their holes!

Come! Come on!